Origins of Climate Denial: Campaigns So Successful They've Landed in Court
Mar 6, 2023
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Geoffrey Supran, lead author of a study on oil company scientists' climate models, discusses the success of fossil fuel companies in climate denial campaigns and the subsequent rise of climate liability cases. The podcast explores the knowledge and cover-up of global warming by oil companies, legal strategies used in climate liability lawsuits, and the influence of fossil fuel groups. It also highlights the need to change public skepticism towards climate change and compares tactics used by big tobacco to those of big oil.
Scientists working for Exxon accurately predicted climate change in the 70s and 80s, challenging the climate denial narrative and highlighting the credibility of scientific research.
Climate liability cases against fossil fuel companies are proving effective in showcasing evidence of deception and connecting specific damages to climate change, potentially shifting public perception and driving action.
Deep dives
Scientists' accurate climate change predictions in the 70s and 80s
A recent study in the journal Science reveals that scientists working for Exxon in the 70s and 80s predicted climate change with alarming accuracy. This finding challenges the climate denial narrative and highlights the credibility of scientific research. The study's lead author, Jeffrey Supran, discusses the media's reaction to the study and mentions that publishing in a prestigious journal like Science has added weight and credibility to their findings.
Shift in focus from denial to delay and contemporary climate talking points
Jeffrey Supran expresses excitement about moving in new directions to examine the evolution from denial to delay in climate change discourse. He emphasizes the importance of analyzing contemporary climate talking points, particularly those circulated on social media platforms, as well as examining various influential players beyond fossil fuel companies, including influencer groups.
Climate liability cases and holding fossil fuel companies accountable
The podcast discusses the wave of climate liability cases being filed against fossil fuel companies and the efforts to hold them accountable for the damages caused by climate change. These lawsuits aim to educate the public, politicians, and the courts about the deception campaigns and efforts to suppress climate change information by the oil companies. The cases are proving effective in showcasing evidence and connecting specific damages to climate change, leading to a shift in public perception and potentially driving action to address the issue.
A new peer-reviewed study in the journal Science shows exactly how accurate oil company scientists' climate models were back in the 1970s and 80s. Alongside this special re-broadcast of Season 1 of Drilled, all about the origins of climate denial, we speak with the study's lead author Geoffrey Supran about its importance.
In this episode, a look at how successful the fossil fuel industry's decades-long information war was at convincing the public there was nothing to worry about, and how that success led to dozens of lawsuits filed over the past five years.